Edward Zwick: The director who compared Denzel Washington to a Ferrari
Denzel Washington is undoubtedly one of the most talented actors alive. He has been prolific since the early 1980s, exploiting his dramatic range to play everything from police officers to gangsters, a cocaine-addicted pilot, and the title role in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, to name a few.
Washington is one of the rare actors of his generation—turning 70 this December—whose filmography is consistently marked by both commercial and critical success. It’s difficult to recall a single misstep in his career. It appears that, whether through keen instincts or with the help of a skilled agent, he has always managed to land excellent roles that showcase his talent.
Having established his longstanding collaborative partnership with visionary Brooklyn-born director Spike Lee in 1990, starring as the talented yet conflicted trumpet player Bleek Gilliam in Mo’ Better Blues, Washington has solidified a legacy many could only ever dream of. Though often overshadowed by the success of Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues showcases a young Washington with the quiet confidence, thoughtfulness, and poise that would come to define many of his later performances.
Just a year before Mo’ Better Blues hit the screen in 1990, Washington snagged his first Oscar in 1989, taking home the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ award for his unforgettable portrayal of Private Silas Trip in Glory. In Edward Zwick’s gripping Civil War epic, Washington played a soldier in a Black regiment with such raw intensity that it cemented him as a Hollywood heavyweight. Fast forward, and he’d do it again—this time winning Best Actor for his role as a crooked cop in Training Day, showing the world just how deep his acting chops go.
Zwick, the American director best known for his epic historical dramas The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, and Shakespeare in Love, compared Washington to a Ferrari. In an interview with IndieWire, Zwick said of Washington: “It was like discovering a Ferrari. And all you have to do is just put your hand on the steering wheel and go like this, and the car will go screaming around the corner. His abilities to be present and to be creative in a moment so exceeded anybody I’d ever worked with.”
The director also praised Washington’s instinct for a script and willingness to squeeze the most out of whatever was on the page: “I recall him saying to me, ‘I can act those words’. In other words, ‘Those words suck, don’t worry, I can do that’. And he didn’t mean that cruelly.” He compared Denzel’s artistic contribution as an actor as equal to that of the screenwriter or director.
To many, Glory isn’t just another war movie; it breaks the mould by shining a light on the human stories at the heart of one of America’s most defining moments. Washington’s gut-wrenching portrayal makes it more than just a film. It’s a powerful ode to the courage and sacrifice of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, honouring the often-overlooked heroes of the Civil War. Glory resonates because it’s not just about battle—it’s about the long, hard struggle for equality and justice, a notion that Washington himself understands well.
Putting Washington in the same category as an actor as Tom Cruise, Zwick added, “They don’t necessarily have the same language, but you ignore their contribution at your peril.”
